Just imagine… naked bodies dancing around a fire under a full moon, shrieking and chanting, calling to their gods and evil spirits, violently waving around skull heads mounted on long staffs, with the barely visible form of a human skeleton hanging over the fire. Mention the word “witch”, and this is exactly what comes to people’s minds. Witches are often called demon-worshippers, Satanists, and murderers, believed to collaborate with evil spirits to cause chaos in the lives of normal, innocent people, taking pure pleasure in every ounce of pain and agony extracted from their victims.
Now, think of another scenario; a young woman, sitting under a full moon on the shore of a beach, softly singing and swaying her body to the song, her long hair blowing in the wind, soaking in the soft rays of the moonlight. Now how many people think of the word “witch”?
In the US, witchcraft is portrayed as “the use of sorcery or magic through communication with the devil or a familiar” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary; def. of “witchcraft”). The reasons for this belief are shown all around: in media, television, distorted teenage fads, and religions. One example is from a popular 1996 movie called “The Craft”, a horror flick about a small group of teenage witches in a Catholic college who enact revenge on enemies, transforming a normally quiet town into utter chaos. Rated “R”, the movie was filled with blood, profanity, sex and nudity and violence. This movie plays on society’s already-twisted view of witchcraft, giving people more of a reason to hate witches, while witches themselves find movies like this deplorable. Another example can be found in the typical Looney Toons witch, with the green skin, twisted nose, and bunny-rabbit and frog leg stew. In these cases, the little ugly witch was always trying to use innocent victims, often times animals, for her satanic practices. It’s no wonder society believes this way!
Witchcraft is the oldest religion in the world, even pre-dating Christian beliefs. In ancient history, witchcraft was known as “The Craft of the Wise” because those who followed and practiced it were “healers”, now more commonly known as doctors. They were in tune with the forces of nature, had a vast understanding of herbs and medicines, and would help the village people find cures for all physical and mental problems they encountered. Along with these practices, witches were also those who worshiped the god and goddess – or more specifically, the sun and the moon – as well as “Mother Nature”. These people practiced witchcraft for peace, relaxation, and celebrating all that the god, goddess, and nature provided for them. They knew that they are not superior to everything else in the world, including nature, the Earth, and its creatures, but saw themselves as equals, believing that everything in the world has something of its own to offer. Although most humans see themselves as superior, what would we do without plants to eat, pets to play with and keep us company, and even the food chain? Witches understand that if we take from the Earth, we must also give something in return; as Chief Seattle said, “We do not own the earth, we are part of it.”
There is a “magical” aspect to witchcraft, which most people know as “spells”. The “magic potions” witches stir up are usually herbal remedies for headaches, colds, or even skunk sprays. Often, witches chose to “bless” or “empower” these concoctions by focusing their inner energy and putting it into it. Sometimes even hours of meditation are put into a simple spell, sealing a spiritual satisfaction that it will work. Another, more “supernatural” type of spell promotes inner healing, love, harmony, wisdom, and worshipping. These are usually continual rituals, sometimes done on one of the eight pagan holidays, a day of the person’s choosing, whether weekly, monthly, or yearly, or just done at random, whenever they feel the need to renew themselves. These rites would be the ones that use different "tools", including herbs, candles, incense, dances, chants, cauldrons, swords, and pentacles. All of these tools are just props, but are not all needed in spells. Many of these tools are symbols, like the sword symbolizing protection, and the pentacle symbolizing the four sources that make up the world – fire, water, air, and earth – and the overall spirit that brings these all together. Sometimes candles are used to help concentrate and center their energy (like people who tend to beat up pillows when they have some extra energy to release), incense is used to help create an overall mood, and the chants and dances are to help clear the mind and bring peace to the practitioner.
Up until the 15th Century, witches and non-witches lived together in peace. Christians during that time celebrated many pagan holidays with witches, often times even practicing witchcraft itself. The power of witchcraft was believed to be a gift from god, allowing everyone to do good for the Earth. Even though they didn't believe in the same gods, both sides acknowledged that fact and accepted it. Then, at the beginning of the 15th Century, the Christian church went through a major reform movement, trying to convert all non-Christians to their beliefs. The church found that the only way to do so was to strike fear in those who refused, and that is when the idea that witches were ran by demons was created. Eventually, the Christians took it upon themselves to eliminate all those who opposed them and their god, and that is when the witch trials began. Hundreds of people were killed, mainly on non-rational beliefs, including that you were a witch if you: had a mole (the mark of the devil), floated in water, or, for women, bled at the same time in a certain moon phase– basically, if a woman had a menstrual cycle each month.
As you can see, witches have been given a bad rap for centuries, with distorted views from outsiders with an uneducated opinion. As stated in Encyclopedia Encarta, “Many accusations of malicious witchcraft… have sprung from irrational fears and social anxieties.” Witchcraft is not about satanic anarchists trying to cast evil spells on enemies; witchcraft is not devil-worshipping; witchcraft does not harm anyone. Witchcraft is peace; witchcraft is kindness; witchcraft is freedom; witchcraft is love. Witchcraft is good, for all, and forever.
-Diana Reider
English 101 Final - "A" Grade
March 2002